8 Justice League the Corps
Dela couldn't believe her good fortune. Here was one of those pathetic humans, alone and on foot. It was time to play. First she'd make sport of him and then she'd carry back his hide as a trophy. Demonstrating how weak humans were would surely undermine Carol Ferris' position.
Blackhawk had no idea what he was in for when Dela swooped down upon him. He merely knew he was in trouble. He unleashed his plasma blaster's venom but it was useless against Dela's personal field. Her field was designed to protect her from plasma storms in open space. A handgun barely registered as being worth notice.
Dela used a hammer and tried to crush Blackhawk. He dodged to the right and fired at the canyon wall. It fragmented and rained upon Dela. Her dignity affronted, she unleashed a flurry of energy knives.
Blackhawk was able to dodge the worst of the energy barbs but he was still wounded. His left leg and arm were cut up and he was having difficulty walking. He knew he couldn't dodge another serious attack. Unfortunately for him, Dela decided to play at this point. Like a cat tormenting a mouse of its own pleasure, Dela herded Blackhawk one direction and then another.
Tiring of the game, he called out for Galatea. If he were within her considerable earshot she would fix in on his voice and come to the rescue. At least, the pre-ring Tea would. He had no idea what her reaction would be now. Hopefully it would be in his favor because Dela was getting infuriated and tempted to merely end his life.
Dela was suddenly knocked out of the sky. As she groveled on the ground, she lifted her head and saw Galatea tending to Blackhawk. Her ring flared to life but she heard a voice from above her.
"Ah, ah, I don't think so," Mary mockingly chastised her, "Unfair attacking when no one's looking. Or is that the only way you can win?"
Dela twisted, swinging her arm so that her ring faced Mary. She created a quarterstaff that batted Mary into the canyon wall. As the Marvel sprang off of it, the staff caught her underneath the chin. It bashed her upside the head and followed through with a blow to her ribs.
The staff swung at her and Mary grabbed it and wrestled with it. It suddenly disappeared and a giant fist smashed her into the rock walls again. It backed up and then punched her again. Once more, then twice, and a third time it repeated this maneuver.
Mary pushed against the fist at the last and pushed it away from the rocks. The fist faded and Mary went hurtling into the opposing canyon wall. Dela laughed.
"I knew from being with Carol that you humans were stupid but this truly proves the point," Dela hurled the insult.
Mary used the Speed of Mercury to rush Dela. She landed a right cross. Dela's personal field cushioned the blow but it was still so powerful that it connected with her jaw. Dela reeled only to discover a left following the first blow. Another punch carried the day and Dela staggered backwards. Mary was unrelenting in her pursuit.
However, Dela wasn't done. She unleashed an explosively expanding force bubble that hurled Mary back. She took to the air and smashed Mary with a hammer. It struck four times altogether. Mary was on her hands and knees, struggling to rise, when Dela spoke again.
"Now it ends for you, little human," she said with malevolent glee.
Meanwhile, Galatea focused on Blackhawk. She inspected his wounds and saw that none of them were critical. She showered him with kisses and professed her love for him.
"I can't believe you're here! I've thought of you all throughout this trip. You know what? I've realized how much I love you. I don't want to live without you. The Star Sapphires can stick it," she declared between kisses.
Blackhawk grinned, "Are you serious?"
"Completely," she assured him.
"I saw what that ring did to you before you rejected it. Are you sure you want to give it all up?" Blackhawk wondered.
Galatea nodded, "This isn't the type of love I signed up for. I want our kind."
"I want that to. You're more important to me than anything. That's why I came out here like this. I had to plead my case to you," Blackhawk admitted.
"You don't have to," she assured him.
"But I want to. I want you, for better or worse, richer, poorer, it doesn't matter. The only thing is being together, for the rest of our lives."
She wore a shy smile, "Are you proposing?"
He realized he was, "This wasn't the venue that I expected, and I didn't bring the ring, but yes, I'm proposing. What do you say?"
Her kiss was so fierce it almost took his head off. When she broke free she wore a radiant smile. He'd never seen her so happy, "I say, yes!"
"You just made me the happiest man alive," he assured her.
The shy smile returned, "You said there's a ring?"
He smiled, "You'll get it when we get back to Earth and I can properly propose."
"Doesn't this count?" she asked, worried that her hopes had risen for nothing.
"Of course this counts. I just want to treat you right. I have a whole evening of wonderful memories planned for giving you your engagement ring. I want it to be special," he explained.
"Okay?" he asked.
"Okay," she melted.
A ground shaking tremor was caused by the hammer's final fall. Galatea turned to see Mary down. The Marvel was still conscious but she wouldn't be for long if Dela had her way. Tea called out to her.
"Wait a minute, Dela!" she ordered.
Dela noticed, really noticed, her for first time, "Well, what are you waiting for? Finish him off!"
"I don't think so." Galatea said angrily. Her sapphire uniform transformed back into her usual white costume. She took the ring off and threw it into the ground, "I'm through with your twisted kind of love."
"This is just because of that man!" Dela accused, "You don't need him. There are trillions of men in the universe. You can take what you want from any of them. Kill this fool and develop your potential to its fullest."
"I love him. It's a pure love, the kind you're supposed to espouse. Just because your relationship with your one great love failed doesn't mean the rest of us are condemned to heartbreak," Galatea argued.
"If you won't kill him, I will!" Dela declared.
A ring construct of a hatchet formed and flew towards where Galatea guarded Blackhawk. Tea reacted almost instantly. She connected with an uppercut that sent Dela sailing over the horizon. The Argoan could only hope that Dela's personal shields were strong enough to protect her. Well, maybe a little injury was a good thing.
She checked on Blackhawk one final time. Seeing he was all right, she moved to Mary. Mary was on her knees but she was otherwise up and aware. Tea helped her to her feet. Mary grinned.
"That was some hit." She said appreciatively, "I'm glad you didn't hit me like that."
"Well, you I like so I held back. Her, phhht! I could stand to belt her like that a few more times," Galatea admitted.
"So? Blackhawk, huh?" Mary wore a dopey grin.
"He proposed!" Galatea happily whispered, "But it was a spur of the moment thing. When we get back he's got something planned and then I get to have the ring!"
Mary hugged her, "I'm so happy for you."
They separated and Mary said, "I'd better get back to the fight."
"I'll get Blackhawk back to the shuttle and then I'll join you," Galatea promised.
"Okay," Mary brightly agreed with that plan. She flew off then and Tea gathered up her fiancé. Upon reaching the shuttle Lady Blackhawk promised to patch him up and Galatea left after one last, lingering kiss.
"I take it everything is fine in paradise," LBH dryly remarked.
"Even better," Blackhawk shared, "We're getting married."
That news startled her. She didn't know if she needed a stiff drink or to sit down. Maybe both. Promising herself that everything truly was fine, she went to work on his wounds. She did, however, whack him with a tongue depressor.
"What was that for?" Blackhawk asked with some confusion.
"That was for general purposes. Now lay down on the auto-doc and shut up," she tersely ordered.
John was able to call off Superman, much to Race's relief, and Superman, in turn, assembled the League. John had a harder time of pulling Katma off of Arven but she relented and also called off the Lanterns. Carol came out and explained to her Sapphires that a new threat was approaching and that their opponents were now their allies. John did the same for the JLU and the GLs. Neither of them got a warm reception.
"They attacked us!" Miri spoke the thought on most Sapphires' minds.
"They are misguided. Remember, we represent love. Should we not love our enemies? To be blunt, the Justice League and the Green Lanterns aren't truly our enemies. They have misconceptions about us and our cause. Misconceptions fueled by our tenure on Earth. We did attack them and their sensibilities before they came here and reciprocated our own actions," Carol argued.
"But you ordered those same actions," Miss Bloss pointed out.
"I may have been mistaken. Just because I'm the Sapphire Queen and the holder of the star sapphire doesn't make me perfect. On my world, there is a saying that goes, 'I'm only human'. We use it to cover up our frailties because we are a flawed species. Your own races are flawed and you have similar expressions. I am human and I am flawed. I may have read the information we had wrong and pushed us into an extreme we don't need to be in." Carol explained, "While love is confrontational at times, it's never aggressive. It doesn't act out of anger or hate. That was the path Dela wanted to take you down and she was wrong. I was wrong for putting you in the position you're in now."
Carol straightened up and spoke more firmly, "This other Lantern Corps is coming, whether we forgive the League and the Green Lanterns or not. They are coming whether we work with them or not. The only certainty is that they're hostile."
"But what if they are Blue or Indigo Lanterns?" Maewen asked. She'd learned of the other Corps after reaching Zamaron and had felt a kinship with these spectrum wielders.
"Before I ventured forth on the Zamarons' mission of raising a Star Sapphire Corps, I went before the leaders of the Blue and Indigo ring bearers. They blessed my mission and that of our Corps. After all what would raise more Hope and Compassion throughout the universe than Love?" Carol let this knowledge settle in before finishing with, "Believe me, they've given their approval. They have no reason to visit us."
"But what if they are Red or Orange Lanterns and not Yellow?" Maewen was close to panic.
For the first time, Carol wished she directed a Corps dedicated to Will. Will banished fear and Maewen wouldn't be close to destabilizing her sisters. The Sapphires were close to panic and Carol had to act fast.
"We haven't interfered with those Corps. We have, however, crossed paths with the Yellow spectrum. We converted the masters of fear to our cause. Sinestro felt so affronted he followed us to Earth. What's to stop him from coming here to settle debts?" Carol posed trhe question that the Sapphires had to ask themselves.
The Sapphires settled somewhat but they were still apprehensive. Carol took command, "Sisters! We defeated fear! First in the orbits of the worlds they held and then again when their Elite faced us. We bested their greatest. It's true they'll have gathered greater numbers for a rematch but we have our allies in the form of the Justice League and the Green Lanterns."
Carol delivered the coup de grace, "Most of all we have Love on our side. Pure, undiluted love. No heart can stand against that for every heart craves it, even that of a master of Fear. This battle is ours to win!"
Courage had returned courage to her sisters' hearts so Carol asked, "What do you say? Do we face this foe? Do we do so beside our newfound allies?"
"Yes and yes!" the Sapphires cried as one.
Carol smiled, "I will now consult with our allies."
John was just as persuasive, if not as eloquent. He had just concluded his argument and received approval from Superman and Katma Tui when the Sapphires cried out their support. Fatality led Mary Marvel back to the fold. Fatality gave Carol a report on Dela's activities even as Mary received a briefing on the change of mission priorities.
Galatea made her appearance. She joined the JLU rather than the Sapphires. This created quite a furor amongst her "sisters". Kyle's abandonment of Carol also created a stir.
"They have made their choices," Carol advised her supporters. Superman approached her.
"We need to talk, in private," he said.
Carol motioned for him to follow her. She flew to the edge of the canyon wall and stood above the mighty city abandoned long before the Zamarons found it. He joined her and he looked as though he bore a great weight.
"Say what you came to say," Carol advised, "You look as though you need to get it off of your chest before your heart gives out."
"We agreed to help you, on certain conditions," he informed her.
"I didn't know the Justice League asked for payment," she snidely quipped.
"It isn't payment," he countered, "It's repayment. You're returning what you stole."
Carol struggled with his meaning for a moment before it became clear, "You're discussing Fire and Ice."
"And Owlwoman, Wonder Girl, Talia, and Poison Ivy," he clarified.
"It's their decision whether or not they stay," Carol said.
"No, you're the Queen. The decision is yours," he stated.
"What if we don't need your help?" she countered.
"The Green Lanterns are part of the deal. They really don't want to help anyway. If it wasn't for Sinestro they wouldn't be inclined to help at all," he revealed, "And I don't think your Sapphires are up to a conflict with trained killers."
"Those are your demands?" she angrily inquired, knowing his assessment of her forces was accurate.
"Those are our terms," Superman rephrased it.
It broke Carol's heart to agree but she did agree. Her heart had been shattered today. Only the sustaining spectrum of Love kept her going. Her love for the Star Sapphires kept her going. They needed her and she them.
Sinestro felt he needed no one. He'd learn his folly when he confronted the Sapphires. They'd not only fight with someone, as any Green or Yellow Lantern would, but also for someone. Green lanterns may have that capacity depending upon individuals but Yellow Lanterns? Never!
That would be their downfall. Carol couldn't wait.